DUBLIN

The first lighthouse on this site was built in about 1667 by Sir Robert Reading, and was one of six that Reading had received letters patent to build from Charles II in 1665. The original facility consisted of a small cottage and a square tower which supported a coal-fired beacon. Parts of the original buildings remain. In 1790, the coal beacon was replaced with a set of six Argand oil lamps.In 1810, the Corporation for Preserving and Improving the Port of Dublin took over the operations.The original building's location was high on the headland, so the light was often obscured by fog.On December 5, 1811 a recommendation was issued that the lighthouse be moved south on the headland to Little Baily. A new tower was completed on March 17, 1814 and stood 134 feet (41 m) above the sea.

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All fotos are my property & are not to be used without my permission! (C)MARIA2005-20015

The National Botanic Gardens is noted for its fine plant collections holding over 15,000 plant species and cultivars from a variety of habitats from all around the world. Famous for its exquisitely restored and planted glasshouses, notably the Turner Curvilinear Range and the Great Palm House, both recipients of the Europa Nostra award for excellence in conservation architecture.

Christ Church Cathedral was the original cathedral of Hiberno-Norse Dublin, founded c.1030 by King Sitriuc. It's bishops were for a time subject to Canterbury, but were incorporated into the Irish church at the synod of Kells in 1152, when Dublin became an archbishopric. The nave, in the Pointed style, dates from about 1230 and is very striking. Strongbow, the Anglo-Norman adventurer who conquered Dublin and married Aoife, daughter of the King of Leinster, is buried here.Dublinia is a heritage centre at the heart of medieval city in central Dublin. There are 3 exciting exhibitions in Dublinia: 'Viking Dublin', 'Medieval Dublin' and 'History Hunters'.

Dalkey is a Heritage Town, urban oasis nestling on the east coast of Ireland just ten miles south of Dublin city.Whether it’s castles, panoramic scenery, fun, international and Irish cuisine, festivals, lively pubs, theatre, markets or village atmosphere you are looking for, Dalkey is the place to visit.

Originally built in the 13th century on a site previously settled by the Vikings it functioned as a military fortress, a prison, treasury, courts of law and the seat of English Administration in Ireland for 700 years. Rebuilt in the 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, Dublin Castle is now used for important State receptions and Presidential Inaugurations.

Historically Dún Laoghaire has always been a 'Gateway to Ireland'. It was once the seat of King Laoghaire, the ancient High King of Ireland before the Vikings sailed from Scandinavia and established themselves in Dublin.When the English later arrived in the late 11th century, they renamed the town Dunlary. In 1821 it was renamed Kingstown by King George IV of England to honour his visit to the town that year.It remained Kingstown through Victorian times until in 1921, one year before the Irish won their independence from Britain, when the town council voted to change the name back to the ancient Irish name Dún Laoghaire.

The home of the Irish law courts since 1796, this fine 18th century building overlooks the north bank of the River Liffey on the west side of Dublin. With a sprawling 440-foot façade, it was designed by James Gandon and is distinguished by its graceful Corinthian columns, massive dome (64 feet in diameter), and exterior statues of Justice, Mercy, Wisdom, and Moses. The building was severely burned during the Civil War of 1922, but has been artfully restored.

Grafton Street is an excellent place for shopping but it is far more than just a shopping street; it is a place for entertainment and culture. The electric atmosphere of the street is what draws so many visitors all year around.

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Located in the heart of the St James’s Gate Brewery, which has been home to the black stuff since 1759, Guinness Storehouse is Ireland’s Number One Visitor Attraction and you simply cannot leave Dublin without having paid a visit.The massive seven-storey building, a former Guinness fermentation plant, has been remodeled into the shape of a giant pint of Guinness. A visit will teach you everything you ever wanted to know about this world famous beer from how Guinness is made to the ancient craft of Guinness barrel making in the Cooperage.The highlight for many visitors is the Gravity Bar. Here visitors receive a complimentary pint of Guinness.

Howth Castle is the private residence of the Gaisford-St Lawrence family. It has its origins in medieval times. In 1177 Almeric, the first Lord of Howth, came to Ireland with John de Courcy. Legend has it that on 10th August, the feastday of St Lawrence, at Evora Bridge, close to the Church of Ireland church he won a victory which secured him possession of the Howth peninsula. In gratitude for this he is said to have taken the name of St Lawrence. His descendants still own and live in the castle.

Kilmainham Gaol gives the visitor a dramatic and realistic insight into what it was like to have been confined in one of these forbidding bastions of punishment and correction between 1796 when it opened and 1924 when it closed and offers a panoramic insight into some of the most profound, disturbing and inspirational themes of modern Irish history.Leaders of the rebellions of 1798, 1803, 1848, 1867 and 1916 were detained here. Such names as Robert Emmet, Charles Stewart Parnell, leaders of the 1916 Rising and DeValera are associated with the Gaol.

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The Liffey is a river in Ireland, which flows through the centre of Dublin. Its major tributaries include the River Dodder, the River Poddle and the River Camac. The river supplies much of Dublin's water, and a range of recreational opportunities.

O'Connell Street is Dublin's main thoroughfare. It measures 49 m (160 ft) in width at its southern end, 46 m (150 ft) at the north, and is 500 m (1650 ft) in length. During the 17th century it was a narrow street known as Drogheda Street (named after Henry Moore, Earl of Drogheda) it was widened and renamed 'Sackville Street' (named after Lionel Sackville, 1st Duke of Dorset) in the late 1700's until 1924 when it was renamed in honour of Daniel O'Connell, a nationalist leader of the early 19th century whose statue stands at the lower end of the street, facing O'Connell Bridge.

The Phoenix Park is over 700 hectares (1752 acres) in area and is the largest enclosed public Park in any capital city in Europe. It was originally formed as a royal hunting Park in the 1660's and opened to the public in 1747. A large herd of fallow deer still remain to this day. The Park is also home to the Zoological Gardens and Aras an Uachtarain and Victorian flower gardens. The Phoenix Park is only 1.5 miles from O'Connell Street.

Built between 1220 and 1260 the Cathedral is one of the few buildings left from the medieval city of Dublin. Today St Patricks is the National Cathedral for the Church of Ireland and is still the largest cathedral in Ireland.St Patricks is also home to six celtic grave slabs which are over a thousand years old and an unusual collection of monuments and brasses.

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Ireland's best known Victorian public park. Re-opened by Lord Ardilaun in 1880 for the citizens of Dublin. This 9 hectare / 22 acre park has been maintained in the original Victorian layout with extensive perimeter tree and shrub planting, spectacular spring and summer Victorian bedding.

Temple Bar is an area on the south bank of the River Liffey in central Dublin, Ireland. Unlike the areas surrounding it, Temple Bar has preserved its medieval street pattern, with many narrow cobbled streets. It is promoted as Dublin's cultural quarter and has a lively nightlife that is popular with tourists, with locations such as The Temple Bar Pub, Oliver St.John Gogargty's and the Auld Dubliner proving to be traditional Irish hotspots.

The Irish Museum of Modern Art also known as IMMA, is Ireland's leading national institution for the collection and presentation of modern and contemporary art.The Museum’s mission is to foster within society an awareness, understanding and involvement in the visual arts through policies and programmes which are excellent, innovative and inclusive.

For many centuries, ships had problems getting into Dublin port, because there were dangerous sandbanks, its shipping channels were not deep enough and kept filling up with sand, and finally there was no shelter against high winds. It took more than 30 years to build what was to be called the Great South Wall and it was finally finished in 1795. At that time it was one of the longest sea walls in the world, remaining one of the longest in Europe. At the end of the wall stands the red-painted Poolbeg Lighthouse, standing in its current form since 1820.In 1801 Captain William Bligh, the famous captain of the Bounty, suggested the construction of another wall on the northern side of Dublin Bay. The Bull Wall, as it is commonly known, was finished around 1824.

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Originally established outside the city walls of Dublin in the buildings of the dissolved Augustinian Priory of All Hallows, Trinity College was set up in part to consolidate the rule of the Tudor monarchy in Ireland, and it was seen as the university of the Protestant Ascendancy for much of its history. Although Catholics and Dissenters had been permitted to enter as early as 1793, certain restrictions on their membership of the college remained until 1873 and the Catholic Church in Ireland forbade its adherents, without permission from their bishop, from attending until 1970. Women were first admitted to the college as full members in 1904.

These gardens are one of the most famous memorial gardens in Europe. They are dedicated to the memory of 49,400 Irish soldiers who died in the 1914 – 1918 war. The names of all the soldiers are contained in the beautifully illustrated Harry Clarke manuscripts in the granite bookrooms in the gardens.These gardens are not only a place of remembrance but are also of great architectural interest and beauty.

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Dublin Zoo is the largest zoo in Ireland and one of Dublin's most popular attractions. Opened in 1831, the zoo describes its role as conservation, study, and education. Its stated mission is to "work in partnership with zoos worldwide to make a significant contribution to the conservation of the endangered species on Earth".Covering over 28 hectares (69 acres) of Phoenix Park, it is divided into areas named World of Cats, World of Primates, The Kaziranga Forest Trail, Fringes of the Arctic, African Plains, Birds, Reptiles, Plants, City Farm and Endangered Species.